Grauman's Chinese Gets New Owners

Say it ain’t so … again. It seems Grauman’s Chinese Theatre has had as many owners as footprints and handprints that blanket the famed Hollywood movie house’s front steps and draw tourists from all over the world. The latest title swap was revealed today, the Los Angeles Times reported, when an ownership group that included Warner Bros and Viacom approved a deal to sell the iconic property to a pair of movie producers: Don Kushner (Tron: Legacy) and entrepreneur Elie Samaha (Battlefield Earth). The Times said the latest sale is scheduled to close May 20 and includes the adjacent Mann’s Chinese 6 multiplex at Hollywood & Highland. The Mann chain sold Grauman’s Chinese to the current owners after filing for bankruptcy in 2001. The original owners back when the theater opened in 1927: Sid Grauman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Mary Pickford and Howard Schenck. Since then, the iconic movie palace hosted several Oscar ceremonies and countless premieres — and more than a few faux superheroes interacting with tourists — and was declared a cultural landmark in 1968.